Introduction

This chapter provides an overview of the research project, the book’s core aims and approaches, and the ideas underpinning these. It details how the project emerged from the author’s experiences living in a resort, and the lines of inquiry this raised. The chapter begins to define what resorts are, some of the existing literature that has analysed them, and how the book extends this research to develop fresh perspectives and insights. The chapter then summarises some of the key ideas informing the book’s approach to conceptualising spatiality and tourism, drawing on the works of scholars such as Henri Lefebvre, Edward W Soja, Doreen Massey, Ben Highmore, John Urry, and Gilles Deleuze and Felix Guattari. The chapter also explains the methods and fieldwork process, which included participant observation, photography and semi-structured interviews with resort residents. Lastly, the chapter outlines the themes, issues and examples explored in each chapter of the book.